Race Stars

Race Stars is a solid-state conversion kit produced in 1978 by Geiger-Automatenbau GmbH, a German manufacturer that repurposed existing American pinball cabinets with new playfields and artwork. Race Stars was a conversion of Bally's 1977 'Evel Knievel,' reusing that machine's cabinet and hardware while giving it a fresh auto-racing theme and new artwork by Michele "Mike" Martinelli. It was Geiger's first conversion kit, with 200 confirmed units produced.

Gameplay carries over much of the underlying Evel Knievel layout: two flippers, three pop bumpers, two passive bumpers, two slingshots, two spinning targets, six standup targets, a 5-bank of drop targets, and a kick-out hole.

As a rebadged conversion rather than an original design, Race Stars' significance lies less in gameplay innovation and more in its place as the debut of Geiger's German conversion-kit business - an example of how European operators extended the life of American pinball cabinets by outfitting them with new themes for local markets.